On The Run
by Alvera
Summary: "I never know whether to wish that I had not met them that day. But if I hadn’t they could have died." Features a hogwarts teacher (McGonagal? Hooch? Sprout? You'll have to read to find out) Rated PG Because of some things implied. BM
1. Escape from Malfoy

1 On the Run  
  
By Freddie  
  
I don't own anything in this story except Jack O' the night, 'The Man' (He's Kind of a Character, not a Key one but anyway), Lizzy, and Al (You Meet them Later)  
  
When I arrived at Hogwarts to learn I was well aware that very few teachers would trust me, that I would have to work very hard, so I did. When I arrived at Hogwarts to teach I was well aware that very few teachers would trust me, that I would have to work hard to earn their trust, thankfully no pupils came from the same background as me, so they had never known my name. It took a long time, but I eventually earned their trust. Having Albus's trust from the start helped.  
  
I never know whether to wish that I had not met them that day. But if I hadn't they could have died. Then 'you know who' would definitely have risen to power, again. Then he would have had the support of the 'sewer rats' as we were called. I was born on the streets, as a child I lived on the streets and I remember being determined not to die on the streets. My mother died when I was born and my father; well I'd rather not go into that. My mother was a 'lady of the night' as some people call them. I was raised with criminals, Jack O' the night, he was my best friend. His mother was the mother I never had. But there were others. They stole, I didn't. I'd never have grassed on them though. I suppose they call that honour among thieves. But I knew those streets like the best of them. The maze of alleyways and passages that was where the criminal fraternity lived. I knew everyone who was anyone in the criminal underworld and I had their trust. Or at least, I did. That was then, this is now, or that was what I thought a few days ago. I thought that I would stick out like a sore thumb if I went back.  
  
It was two weeks before the beginning of term. Albus had allowed Harry to stay with the Weasly's and they were going to Diagon Alley to buy their school supplies. Hermione was supposed to meet them there. Instead, she met them on the underground. Who knows what possessed Mr Weasly to try and get them there on the underground, but he did. Thankfully Hermione managed to get them off at the right stop, well she is muggle born. I'm half-blood; at least I think I am. My mother was a witch and I presume that my father was a muggle, but I could be wrong. I was just sitting on a bench in Trafalgar Square when I saw them; well, it was pretty hard to miss the Weasly's. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy. His wand was raised, in the middle of muggle London. Then I realised, he was going to kill Harry. I had to do something. By the time the words left his mouth I was almost there. I grabbed Harry and, for some inexplicable reason, Hermione. Through the screams of the muggles I could hear him swearing and his footsteps coming after us. I didn't stop running. Nor did Harry or Hermione. I led them into an alleyway. I knew that I could lose him here. I knew these streets like the back of my hand. Better in fact. I turned, Left, right, left, right, right, through a passage. I don't think I even realised when we lost him. I just kept running, with Harry and Hermione in tow. I could hear their footsteps, and mine, echoing round us and my heart beating. Suddenly I stopped. I could feel Harry's fear.  
  
"He was trying to kill me. Wasn't he?" He asked. I don't think that he had realised where he was.  
  
"Yes," I replied, no use in lying to him, "Yes he was"  
  
"Where are we Professor?" Hermione asked. Suddenly I heard someone coming.  
  
"Stay in the shadows," I told them. Lucius Malfoy ran over to me. I didn't think that he would recognise me in this half-light, but my hand gripped my wand by my side anyway.  
  
"Have you seen a woman and 2 kids pass here, a boy and a girl?"  
  
"Nah" I replied, changing my accent to the one that I had used as a kid, "I ain't seen nufink" He carried on running, turning left. Fat lot of good that would do him. If he carried on that way and went left, right, left, left, he would end up in Bond Street. I turned back to Hermione and Harry.  
  
"Sorry about that. We're half way between Bond Street and Oxford Street. We need to get you back to Professor Dumbledore. The only question is how." I thought for a moment. What we really needed was someone who knew where the deatheaters were likely to be. What we needed was Jack. As if on cue I heard footsteps. Not Malfoy's running steps, but slower ones.  
  
"Don't talk to these people unless they address you" I told them, "Ok?" They nodded. I fumbled with my hair, letting it down. No one in these parts wore their hair up. By the time the person came round the corner I knew exactly what I was going to say.  
  
"Ex, Excuse me sir" I tried to sound as scared as I could.  
  
"Yes" He replied.  
  
"Do you know where Jack O' the night is?"  
  
"Who's asking?" I knew that I'd hit on gold this time.  
  
"Me name's Mary, I knew Jack a long time ago, I need to see 'im. Me two kids are starving" I motioned to Harry and Hermione hoping that they'd get the idea.  
  
"What are your names?" He asked them.  
  
"This is 'annah," I said, motioning to Hermione, "And this is 'enry" I motioned to Harry.  
  
"Can't they speak for themselves?" He asked.  
  
"Sorry sir"  
  
"Well, no harm done" He said kindly, almost too kindly for my liking. Having lived with criminals (some of whom would sell their own mother if they thought that they would get enough money) all my life does tend to make me a little distrusting.  
  
"Come with me" He said. Harry, now Henry, and Hermione, now Hannah, followed me as I followed him. I kept my wits about me, making a mental note of where he was leading us. It tallied with my memories of where Jack had hidden in the past, which worried me slightly. Oh, he was a good thief, but I don't think he was that good that the authorities wouldn't even get a sniff of where he was. Then I remembered that he had several hideouts and this was the best hidden, they'd never find this place.  
  
"Stay here" He told us when we got to a door. He went inside.  
  
"What are we doing Professor?" Hermione asked. I didn't answer her question as such.  
  
"If there's anyone around at any time, call me mum. We're going to see someone who will know what the deatheaters are doing" The man came out just as I finished speaking.  
  
"You can come in" He led us into a dimly lit room. There was a fire at one end and a chair in front of it. The dancing light of the flames silhouetted the man who was sitting in it with his back to us. The man in the chair dismissed the other man with a flick of his hand. I gripped Harry and Hermione's hands tighter than ever and tried to keep my breathing steady. What if he didn't remember me? What if this was a different Jack O' the night? 


	2. Lizzy

1 Part 2  
  
The man stood up, his back still silhouetted by the fire. As he turned I felt Harry and Hermione take a small step backwards in horror. I felt my heart go out to him. His face was covered in scars, his eyes were as sunken as ever and his face was, if possible, paler than last time I saw him. I let go of Harry and Hermione's hands and walked towards him.  
  
"Oh Jack" I said sympathetically.  
  
"It's Ok Min, I'm fine" He replied.  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Yeah. So, who is this?" He began walking towards Harry and Hermione but they took a step backwards. "It's Ok," He said, "I won't hurt you" His eyes flickered over them, like the fire was flickering shadows on the wall, Hermione first, then Harry. His eyes stopped at the scar.  
  
"Harry Potter, should have known. Malfoy after you?" Harry looked surprised, but I wasn't. Jack knew everything that happened round here. It wouldn't surprise me if he knew about, well, I'm not sure if I should tell you this. But Sirius Black is alive, well and helping the war against 'You- know-who'. How do I know? Ah, well, deputy headmistresses have their spy's as well.  
  
"Yes" I replied before Harry had a chance to. Jack turned back to Hermione.  
  
"So you must be Hermione," he said, "Hermione Granger isn't it?"  
  
"Yes sir" Hermione replied, remembering her manners.  
  
"Oh, you needn't be calling old Jack O' the night sir. Jack'll do" He turned back to me, "So, what favour do you need now?"  
  
"I need to get these two back to Albus, Professor Dumbledore. But I need to do it with out the deatheaters finding out" Jack's eye's began to burn almost as brightly as the fire. I knew that look; it meant that he would help us.  
  
"Ok, You well, you can't disapperate to Hogwarts, and anyway these two are too young. It's too risky to go out Trafalgar Square or Bond Street, and anyway how would you get to Hogwarts." Jack paused for a moment, "So, what we need to do is get a message to Dumbledore, but how?"  
  
"Owl?" Harry suggested timidly.  
  
"There aren't any round here and none of us can go into a wizard post office."  
  
"Oh Jack," I said, despairingly, "What have you done now that the ministry are looking for you?"  
  
"Not much. But anyway, it's too risky for any of you to go, even in disguise. Unless…"  
  
"Unless what?" I asked eagerly.  
  
"Unless we can find another wizard to go, but there aren't any round here."  
  
"What about Lizzy?" I asked, thinking of our other school friend.  
  
"Lizzy, of course. But I can't go, you'll have to" From the look in his eyes I could tell exactly why he couldn't go. Jack would forgive almost anything as long as whoever it was had learnt their lesson. Almost anything. The one thing he wouldn't forgive was fraternizing with the enemy. Lizzy had sent me a letter a few years ago. She was getting married to someone that Jack would consider an enemy, an opposition gang leader. I looked at Harry and Hermione. This was our only chance, but it would mean leaving them here for a couple of hours until I could find Lizzy. I trusted Jack, but they didn't. I'd have to take that chance.  
  
"Harry, Hermione," I said, "I'm going to have to find Lizzy. I need you to stay here. Jack'll look after you. Ok?" They nodded, but I could see that they were worried.  
  
"You'll have to go in disguise" Jack told me. I nodded, I had expected as much. He moved the chair and pulled a floorboard out of the floor beneath it. He took a wooden box out of the gap and out of the box pulled some rags. He handed them to me and pointed to through a door.  
  
"You can change through there" He told me. I went through the door to what must have been his bedroom. I changed quickly, worrying all the time. What if something went wrong? What if I couldn't get back? What if…'What if we all went round saying what if?' I chided myself, 'nothing would ever get done' As soon as I was changed I went back into the main room. Jack had a container of mud in his hand.  
  
"Come here and sit down Min" He told me. When I had sat down he started muddifying me up so that I looked the part.  
  
"Ok, Lizzy is living with Al" He spat on the floor at the mention of his adversaries name, "in a tavern in 5thLSA, that's 5th alley from Leicester Square Avenue," He explained to Harry and Hermione "She sings, waitresses and 'entertains' customers," I knew exactly what he meant, "The nearest post office will be the one on FSA, Fleet Street Avenue, I suggest you write your message down now so that you can give it to her as soon as you've persuaded her." I tried to nod but as he was at this moment applying mud to my face I found it tricky. When he had finished, I wrote a short message for Albus and put it in my pocket.  
  
"You ready?" Jack asked. I nodded. "Good luck" Jack said. I walked out of the door and when I was a safe distance away I transformed. Jack didn't know that I was an animagi and I had no intention of telling him. Even best friends have some secrets from each other. I knew exactly where I was going, even in Al's territory. Well, it hadn't always been his. When I was a couple of alleys away from the tavern, I transformed back into human form. As I got nearer I heard Lizzy's laugh. It's pretty hard not to.  
  
I entered the tavern trying not to draw attention to myself. There were quite a few people who's clothes were torn and were almost covered in mud, even more than me, so I didn't stick out too much. Lizzy walked over to me.  
  
"What the hell are you doing here?" She asked in a whisper.  
  
"Nice to see you to"  
  
"There are deatheaters everywhere, combing the place for you."  
  
"I need a favour"  
  
"What sort of favour?"  
  
"I need you to take this letter and post it to Albus Dumbledore" I produced the letter and gave it to her.  
  
"Ok, Why though?"  
  
"I'm looking after Harry Potter" Lizzy gasped quietly.  
  
"That's why the deatheaters are looking for you?"  
  
"Yeah. I have to get him and his friend back to Albus"  
  
"LIZZY" Al, her husband called, "There are customers who would like to be served here"  
  
"Coming Al" She replied before turning back to me, "I'll post the letter as soon as I can. Good luck" 


End file.
